SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SECURELY PERFORMING MULTIPLE STAGE EMAIL PROCESSING WITH EMBEDDED CODES
First Claim
1. A multi-stage method of processing email messages, said method comprising:
- receiving in a mail processing application, a set of information about an email message from a mail transfer agent;
performing at least one processing step on said email message, said processing step generating instructions and data for a later stage mail program to process;
adding a new email message component to said email message, said new email message component comprising said instructions and data for said later stage mail program to process; and
returning said email message to said mail transfer agent.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method for performing email processing at multiple stages along an email delivery chain. A first embodiment uses an email filter to receive information about an email message from a message transfer agent and then perform limited email pre-processing on the email message. The email filter then stores instructions and data such as the results from the email pre-processing into an internet email header added to the email message. The instructions and data placed into the email header may be encrypted for privacy and security. A later email program may extract the instructions and data from the internet email header and continue the email processing. One disclosed application of the multi-stage email processing system is email authentication.
-
Citations
25 Claims
-
1. A multi-stage method of processing email messages, said method comprising:
-
receiving in a mail processing application, a set of information about an email message from a mail transfer agent; performing at least one processing step on said email message, said processing step generating instructions and data for a later stage mail program to process; adding a new email message component to said email message, said new email message component comprising said instructions and data for said later stage mail program to process; and returning said email message to said mail transfer agent. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
-
-
10. A computer-readable medium, said computer-readable medium comprising a set of computer instructions for processing email messages, said computer instructions implementing:
-
receiving in a mail processing application, a set of information about an email message from a mail transfer agent; performing at least one email processing step on said email message, said email processing step generating instructions and data for a later stage mail program to process; adding a new email message component to said email message, said new email message component comprising said instructions and data for said later stage mail program to process; and returning said email message to said mail transfer agent. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
-
-
19. A system processing email messages at multiple different stages, said system comprising:
-
a first mail transfer agent, said first mail transfer agent receiving an email message; a first email processing system, said first email processing system receiving a set of information about said email message from said mail transfer agent, said first email processing system performing at least one processing step on said email message, said first email processing system adding to said email message a new email message component comprising a set of instructions and data resulting from said at least one processing step; and a second email processing system located in a subsequent computer system along a transit path of said email message, said second email processing system performing additional processing on said email message after extracting said set of instructions and data from said email message. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
-
Specification